The Best of Cerrone - HOT PRODUCTIONS #1
Artist: Cerrone

Cerrone was a dominant Euro-disco act in the mid-'70s. His music accented both disco's strengths (multi-layered arrangements; a driving, at times almost overbearing beat; and sophisticated strings) and weaknesses (a stifling lyrical sameness and arrangement/production formula that could quickly grow wearisome). But only Gino Soccio and Georgio... Read More

Abba-esque: The Remixes
Artist: Erasure
Community Score: 10.00

Abba-esque was a high point for Erasure because they drew ingenious parallels between Abba and contemporary club culture. Abba-esque: The Remixes only confirms this connection. The original EP was already club-oriented, but these four remixes brings the club dimension to the forefront, and the results are every bit as giddily intoxicating as the... Read More

Drop a Beat
Artist: Moby
Star
Artist: Erasure

This is the third Erasure CD-5 from Wild!, and they're maintaining a great average so far: three for three. "Star" is another one of those rip-roaring Clarke/Bell compositions that's as much fun for the ears as it is for the feet, and we get it here in a stupendous single mix, an extended mix that does good things with the tune and lets it carry... Read More

mortgage
Artist: Moby
Community Score: 6.81
Erasure Pop!: The First 20 Hits
Artist: Erasure
Community Score: 8.62

On a roll from its U.K. chart-topping success with the Abba-esque EP, Erasure celebrated with the baldly titled Pop! While scant in terms of general info, as a no-frills hit-for-hit collection Pop! lives up to its considerable brief. Taken out of context from the various albums, hearing one straight-up smash after enough becomes a pure delight.... Read More

Abba-esque - EP
Artist: Erasure

Erasure had never hidden its love for ABBA, with one of its earliest B-sides being an enthusiastic remake of "Gimme Gimme Gimme," a version of which later popped up on The Two-Ring Circus. Come 1992 and Clarke and Bell decided to take the full plunge on a tribute EP with great results, including getting to the top of the charts in England. All... Read More

God Fodder
Artist: Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Community Score: 8.00

Ned's Atomic Dustbin may be one of Britain's most overlooked bands, which is surprising, considering that while their releases may not be groundbreaking, each one is certainly solid. The band emerged in the early '90s, and was quickly grouped (along with bands like Pop Will Eat Itself and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine) into the English... Read More

Chill Out
Artist: The KLF
Community Score: 9.70

One of the initial works in the ambient house canon, Chill Out is the practically beatless soundtrack to a late-night journey along the Gulf Coast, and the track titles tell much of the story: "Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold," "3AM Somewhere Out of Beaumont," "Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul." Recorded live by... Read More

Wonderland
Artist: Erasure
Community Score: 8.00

The duo's full debut was a sparkling collection of synth-pop tunes that made up in enthusiasm and immediate catchiness what it lacked in overall variety or any sense of artistic progression from Clarke's past. Though the production, one of Flood's earliest high-profile efforts, is detailed and often lush, anyone who had followed Clarke's career... Read More

Ex:El
Artist: 808 State

Capturing 808 State at their absolute best, none of their subsequent albums quite matched Ex:El's perfect blend of art, mass appeal, and zeitgeist (one of the most common vocal samples in techno, Willy Wonka's "We are the music makers," made its first major appearance here). A major change here from past releases is the increasing variety and... Read More

mortgage
Artist: Moby
Community Score: 6.97